In Social Studies students explore big questions related to citizenship and Identity. Students explore who they are in relation to others in their local, national and global communities.

At each grade level, students explore topics related to: Time, Continuity and Change; Power, Authority and Decision-Making; The Land: Places and People; Global connections; Economics and resources; and Culture and Community.

Learners inquire into issues and consider them from multiple perspectives. Teachers design learning opportunities so that students develop an appreciation of the communities in which they live today, and an awareness of how our past informs our decisions for the future.

Grade 6 Social Studies

• Democracy – History, Principles, and Operation. Your child will explore the origins and development of democracy and learn how ancient and historical systems of government have influenced modern democratic societies. They will examine how democratic principles shape government in Canada, including the roles of elected representatives and the processes of decision making. Your child will also learn about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and how civic participation supports democratic societies.
• What Your Child is Learning
• Your child will explore the history, development, and principles of democracy as they
  • relate foundational democratic principles to government systems, including Athenian democracy, the Roman Republic, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy
  • analyze democracy in Canada, including the federal government and provincial governments
  • examine the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • examine active and responsible civic participation as the foundation of a democratic society

Grade 7 Social Studies

• How has Canada changed over time? What kinds of changes have there been and why? Your child will explore the people and events that led to Canadian Confederation, and the major changes in Canadian life since then that have shaped citizenship and identity in our diverse society.
• What Your Child is Learning
  • Canada has undergone some major changes during its history, and your Grade 7 child will uncover the stories behind these changes. They will become familiar with the people and events that led to Canadian Confederation and with the political, economic, and social changes that took place afterward. Your child will gain an understanding of Canada’s development into the multicultural, bilingual, pluralistic, and diverse society we know today. For more information about Grade 7 Social Studies, refer to the program of studies.

Grade 8 Social Studies

• How do people in different societies view the world and influence each other? Contact between societies that view the world in different ways has shaped our world. Through inquiry, your teen will reflect on their own worldview and assess the influence that the past has on the present. By examining historical examples drawn from Japan, Renaissance Europe, and Spanish and Aztec societies, your teen will better understand how contact between societies can lead to change.
• What Your Child is Learning
  • Contact between peoples who view the world in different ways has shaped society. By using the historical examples of Japan, Renaissance Europe, and Spanish and Aztec civilizations, your teen will examine how societies with differing cultures can affect each other when they come into contact. By exploring how people in different places and times have viewed the world, your teen will think about their own worldview. For more information about Grade 8 Social Studies, refer to the program of studies.

Grade 9 Social Studies

• How do our government and economy work? How do they affect me? Grade 9 Social Studies focuses on citizenship, identity, and quality of life. Students will examine the relationships between Canada’s political and legislative processes, and they’ll examine the impact of these processes on governance, rights, citizenship, and identity. Students will also explore issues of economics and their impact on quality of life, citizenship, and identity in Canada and the United States.
• What Your Child is Learning
  • Your teen will discover the important influences that government and economics have on our lives. They’ll focus on the rights, roles, and responsibilities of citizens in decision-making processes and in the Canadian justice system. Your teen will also explore issues related to immigration and consider the impact of economic decisions on the quality of life experienced in Canada and in the United States. For more information about Grade 9 Social Studies, refer to the program of studies.